Innocent Bystander Fatally Shot In Pep Boys Parking Lot In Harbor City
HARBOR CITY (CBSLA.com) — Authorities say a woman was fatally shot Friday afternoon in the parking lot of a Pep Boys in Harbor City.
Sky2's Stu Mundel said LAPD and LA City Fire both responded to the scene.
The Pep Boys is located at the 1300 block of Pacific Coast Highway, near Western. The LAPD said shots were fired around 2 p.m. from across the street and that two people -- both working at Wheaton's Eatin's Barbecue food stand -- were struck.
The fatal victim was described as a 24-year-old and an innocent bystander.
The other person struck -- a man -- was taken to a hospital. The injured person had a minor gun shot wound to the arm, Mundel reported. Police later said that man was apparently the gunman's target. The gunman reportedly chased him after firing.
"Witnesses describe him running after him with the gun held firing," said LAPD Officer George Romulo.
KCAL9's Peter Daut picked up the story Friday evening and reported from a police station in San Pedro after speaking to the victim's loved ones.
He said the gunman fired into a crowded parking lot, The gunman is still at large.
The family of the victim -- now identified as Jennifer Dickerson -- said she was just trying to make a living.
"It's just terrible. This is just totally out of the ordinary for this to happen," said friend Cyrus Gibson.
Police say the gunman, whose face was covered with a bandana, ran across the street and jumped into an SUV.
Dickerson's family says she had worked at the barbecue stand for about a year.
"Father is going through Hell. brothers and sisters are going through Hell, grandmother, the whole family is going through it," said a family member. "They're going through it."
The deceased also enjoyed rap music and posted a video of herself on YouTube.
Investigators say the motive for the shooting remains unclear but believe Dickerson was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"She was a good sweet person, had two jobs, this was her second job. Just really sad," said Gibson.
Investigators say they are looking at surveillance video to help them figure out the gunman's identity.
Meanwhile, the man shot in the arm has been released from the hospital.
